Black Spruce (Picea mariana)

This is a common tree species in bogs in the U.P. and northern Lower Peninsula. In southern Michigan it is less common and at the very southern edge of its range. From a distance this species can be recognized by its narrowly conic form often with a clubshaped tuft of growth at the top. Trees in northern Michigan and Canada are commonly infested with dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium pusillum), shown on the right center of the poster. Mistletoe is a parasitic flowering plant that causes the formation of "witch's brooms."